Embrace Me
by BerkieLynn
Summary: A collection of drabbles from a tumblr cuddle/hug prompt meme.
1. tacklehug

_Requested by seilleanmor _

She can tell herself all she wants that she doesn't know why she's here but it's a lie. She knows exactly why.

She needs him tonight.

Needs his touch, his strong arms around her, his broad hands holding her. After the day they've had, she thinks he might not mind the reminder that she's still here, too. She's grateful that she's on his approved list of guests and they didn't call ahead to alert him of her arrival. She's glad that he won't be mulling over the reason for her visit as she ascends in the elevator, doesn't have time to plaster pity on his features.

She knocks, fingers crossed that he'll be the only occupant still downstairs; she's not sure that she could handle the gauntlet of redheads tonight. The handle turns and she holds her breath, releases it when the door swings open to reveal Castle.

"Beckett," he says her name softly on an exhale, his voice filled with wonder. "What are you-"

His sentence is cut off as her body collides with his, her arms wrapped around his neck, the momentum causing one of her legs to snake around his thigh. He clutches at her, rocking back from the impact, takes a step to steady himself and then his arms are around her, warm bands across her back, his hands curled around her ribs.

She's not sure how long they stay like that but he waits her out, his embrace never wavering. She finally relaxes, her arms loosening from his neck with a long sigh. She drops from her tiptoes slowly, her hiked leg sliding down his inch by inch, the unprecedented intimacy causing her heart to thrash wildly in her chest. She takes a step back and looks up at him, her lips pressed into a curve. He's smiles back at her and she can see the questions and concern for her in his eyes yet he says nothing.

She takes another step back, notes the sway of his body towards hers but his feet stay fast in place. He's being so patient with her, so much more than she thought him capable of and it reminds her of why she's here in the first place. She needed this reminder of what she's working towards, what she's trying to be worthy of.

"Night, Castle."

She turns to leave and is halfway towards the elevator when his voice floats down the hallway.

"Goodnight. Sleep well."

She will now.


	2. couch cuddles

_Requested by sunrisefromindigo/blue252_

_Secret's Safe With Me post-ep_

She lets herself in to find him moping around the kitchen, the corners of his mouth turned down and his forehead creased in sorrow. The counter top is littered with pots and pans, various ingredients that don't seem to go together scattered among the wreckage. She toes off her shoes, hangs up her coat and approaches slowly, resting a hip on the edge of counter. He's crouched on the floor, digging through a cabinet of cookware and muttering to himself but looks up as he sees her approach. His eyes are filled with hopelessness and desperation and she knows that it has nothing to do with the current state of his kitchen.

She offers him her hand and he takes it, hauls himself off the floor to stand before her. She tightens her grip on his hand in a reminder of their earlier goodbye as she rises on her toes to brush her mouth to his. He cups her cheek in his palm and kisses her languidly, making good on his promise of long and slow and she melts against him, can feel the anxiety leak out of him as well, happy to stay like this the rest of the night if that's what he needs. He pulls back after a minute and as her eyelids flutter open, she sees the clouds descend on him again.

"What are you making?" she asks, pleased to see him startle because that means that her non-sequitur question distracted him the way she hoped it would.

"I, uh…dinner?"

"I figured as much," she replies teasingly. "Did you decide on anything?"

He hangs his head. "No. I figured something comforting but everything I thought of were Alexis's favorites and that just made me sadder so then I was looking for my wok because I thought maybe I'd make stir fry but then I remembered that we used it as a hat for a snowman last winter." He flashes her a grin when she giggles at that, a sparkle in his eyes that she hasn't seen yet this evening.

She turns to exit the kitchen, tugging him along behind, sweeping his phone off the counter as she goes. She unlocks it and scrolls through his contacts to find what she's looking for, nudging her hip to his to encourage him to sit. He smiles at her in adoration as he realizes that she's ordering from their favorite Italian delivery, the love in his eyes banishing the dark from before.

She settles herself into the corner of the sofa as she ends the call, sliding her hand down his arm and lacing their fingers together as she does so, relishes the feeling of his side pressed against hers after a day of barely touching him at all. He sighs heavily, his body sagging again and she releases his hand to wrap her arms around him and draw him to her, his forehead falling to the crook of her neck as one of his arms swings around her waist.

He sighs again but it's more of a release. "My baby's in college," he whines against her and she can't even laugh at him because as pathetic as he sounds, she knows that he is genuinely distraught.

"I know, sweetheart," she murmurs against his hair, the endearment so natural that neither of them even flinch at it anymore.

He shifts so that they're better aligned, their legs tangling together, his head coming to her shoulder as her arms tighten around him again. She knows that the food will be here soon and she will allow the pasta and rich sauce to soothe him but for now she'll let her even breaths and the sweep of her fingers on his arm lull him into comfort.


	3. hurtcomfort

_Requested by anon_

He can't stop focusing on the weather. It's gray and drizzly and the opposite of everything his little girl was. It seems wrong and completely right at the same time; he's not sure he could handle the bright, cheerful sun today.

The whole thing is just ridiculous. He's out there with the police every day, he's faced impossible situations that could have easily ended in his death dozens of times and his daughter is hit by a car crossing the street. Ridiculous. Ridiculous and unfair.

He huddles with his wife under an umbrella next to the hole in the ground that Alexis's body will be lowered into, the gaping maw of earth ready to take her from him forever. Not that she isn't already gone from him but this feels final. He can't ever come back from this. Kate's hand tightens against him where it rests in the crook of his arm and he finds himself listing into her, trying to soak up some of her strength.

He shakes her hand off his arm, can feel her freeze in confusion before he draws it across her shoulders instead, her arm easily encompassing his waist, her hand curled insistently against his ribs. She's not pressing herself against him, she's holding him tight to her. Her embrace supporting him, holding him up as he silently falls apart.

He won't ever come back from this loss but he may just survive.


	4. firstlast

_Requested by Nic6789/ColieMacKenzie_

Kate was exhausted, her feet hurt from standing all day, her stomach rumbling in protest, the small bites of food she'd managed throughout the day nowhere near enough to sate her. She was desperate for a hamburger and her bed but there was no chance in hell that she was moving at this moment. Not with her back against her husband's chest, her head tucked under his chin, his arms secure across her stomach.

She's missed him today. Which is stupid because she married him today but the whole day has been a whirlwind, their attention pulled in a million different directions and this is the first time all day they've had time to just be with each other. And so despite the other needs of her body, quietly resting in Castle's embrace at the edge of their wedding reception is the only thing that she wants right now.

She sighs, turning her head to press her forehead into his neck, his arms tightening around her and she snuggles deeper into him. It makes her think of the only other quiet moment they've had today. She woke up with a smile already on her face, excitement zipping through her veins. His arm came across her waist as he slid in behind her, pulling her tight against him.

"Go back to sleep," he'd slurred into her ear, the early morning gravel of his voice raising goose bumps on her arms. She shifted back, lined her body up with his, and allowed one of his legs to slip between hers.

Looking back, she is so grateful for that moment of quiet before they started their day. It was like so many other mornings but now it's become their last embrace before they were married, bookended by this, their first as man and wife.

She knows that like the moment this morning, this one also will end. But then rest of their life – their life together – will start.


	5. sleep cuddles

_Requested by anon_

They promised they weren't gonna talk about it. It just…happened and there was no reason anyone needed to know.

So as he walks past the break room and hears Esposito telling Beckett, "He just got confused. I should have stopped him but I thought he'd figure it out. I let it go on longer than I should have," he gets a little angry.

Ryan storms in, slamming the door behind him, makes quick work of crossing the room to close the other door with only slightly less force before turning to face his co-workers. Though really, this is more between friends because this is not about the job right now.

"Really, Javi? Because I'm not embarrassed enough, you have to laugh with Beckett about it?"

"Whoa, Ryan, no, I wasn't-"

"No, just save it, at least let me explain myself," he cuts off his partner. "Can I tell my side?" he asks Beckett and she nods, motioning for him to continue, amusement twinkling in her eyes.

"Bro, I am telling you that you don't want to tell her anything." Esposito was practically begging him but Ryan puts up a hand and glares. Hard. His friend backs off, mutters "your funeral" before walking over to the sofa and dropping heavily onto a cushion.

Ryan takes a short breath and launches into his story, desperate to explain himself. "Look, it was late, that was the whole point of why we got the hotel room, we would have preferred 2 beds but they only had one with a king so whatever, we took it. I was delirious when I finally got to crawl into bed and I was missing Jenny and I guess, I don't know, I went looking for her in my sleep. I should have realized that he didn't feel like my wife but, as I mentioned, I was really tired and so, yeah, okay, I spooned Javi. He yelled as soon as he woke up and it woke me up, too. It was only for like a minute, it didn't mean anything." He emphasizes the last word, directs it at the other man in the room, Esposito still not making eye contact with him.

Ryan glances back at Beckett, finds her with her hand over her mouth and her shoulders shaking in silent laughter. A moment later, she can't restrain it, bright peals of amusement bouncing around the room.

"Wait, okay," she chokes out, takes a breath before she starts again, "So this is why you guys were so weird when you came back from that trip upstate? You cuddled in your sleep?" Saying it out loud sets her off again, the laughter weakening her enough to cause her to take a seat, rest her head on the table as she tries to catch her breath.

One of the doors creaks open, Castle's voice cutting in, "What's going on?"

Beckett dissolves into laughter again and that's apparently as much as Esposito can take. He pushes himself off the sofa, heads past Ryan to the other door but stops and turns back before he gets there.

"I was telling her about the arrest that I took the rookie on this morning; he pegged the wrong person and started slapping cuffs on a bystander. But, ya know, thanks for letting this out of the bag." He throws his hands up in disgust and stalks from the room.

"So what's the funny thing?" Castle's asking as Ryan turns back. Beckett waves a hand in his direction as a wave of giggles overtakes her again.

Ryan does the only thing he can think of. He flees.

* * *

_A/N: This was specifically requested to be Ryan/Esposito. I doubt I filled the prompt the way it was intended but I didn't turn it down which was my first reaction._


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